PURINA Petcare Philippines, a business unit of Nestlé, plans on making 2016 more fun and exciting for people and their pets.

Without giving specifics, Joshua Frederick P. Alarkon from the local Purina office told MetroPets that they will continue the meaningful programs they have done in the past like the Lend A Paw campaign. He also hinted at the possibility of additional pet products to provide local consumers with more choices.

​Known for its creed “Your pet, our passion”, Purina staged the social media-driven Lend A Paw program in 2014 and 2015 which encouraged pet owners to share original photos of themselves and their pets holding hands as a way of reaching out to shelter cats and dogs with the Philippine Animal Welfare Society (PAWS).

“We saw the way pet owners love to take photos of their pets, so might as well do it in a way that could help,” said Alarkon.

For every valid photo entry, Purina donated a bowl of Alpo or Friskies for the animals at PAWS. In total, 17,000 bowls of pet food were donated in 2014 and 18,000 more in 2015.

Alarkon said it's likely that there'll be a third run of Lend A Paw this year, again for the benefit of PAWS.

“We chose to partner with PAWS because what they do is close to what Purina stands for,” he added.

The Lend A Paw campaign was primarily an avenue for Filipinos to help shelter animals, but it also attracted a big share of participants from abroad. This year, Purina aims for bigger participation among local pet lovers.

Meanwhile, Purina is in the middle of a Facebook-based campaign called PuspinsofMeownila that seeks to elevate the image of the humble native cat to high-quality pet material. (See related story).

“Purina wants to fulfill the lives of pets and pet lovers. Across the year we will have programs and events for dogs and cats,” Alarkon added.

Purina is the maker of the premium canned cat food Fancy Feast and also the popular brands Alpo, Friskies, Beggin' Strips and Tidy Cats (non-clumping cat litter). Asked if there'll be new products coming in the market this year, Alarkon declined to answer but emphasized that “pet lovers will be happier this year”.